Since early Tuesday morning (December 17), officials have been checking all vehicles, both bearing Thai and Laos licence plates, heading to Laos via border checkpoints. The Immigration Department has posted pictures of the suspect at all checkpoints and on bulletin boards near the border, and has also dispatched undercover officers to search border areas and nearby boat piers in case the suspect surfaces.

Earlier, a witness claimed to have seen a man fitting Somkid’s description disguised as a monk in Kumphawapi district in Udon Thani, and police assumed that he might have fled to adjacent Nong Khai in an attempt to cross the border to Laos.

Somkid was originally given the death sentence for murdering five people, but this was later commuted to life in prison. He was jailed on June 29, 2005, and served just under 14 years before being released on May 27 this year for good behaviour.

“Among the top fake news lately are a tax hike on sanitary pads and the announcement of an emergency decree in Bangkok – both are groundless,” he insisted.

Buddhipongse said the anti-fake news centre is working with police to track down starters of such news and will pursue legal action as soon as possible.

“Besides fake news sources, those who share the news knowing it was fake or people who alter the information online for personal or indirect gain will also be punishable under the Computer-related Crime Act BE 2550,” he warned.

When asked about the case in which Future Forward Party spokeswoman Pannika Wanich has been alleged to have distorted the Children Day’s slogan given by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Buddhipongse said that representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister have already filed a case with the Technology Crime Suppression Division and at his ministry.

“Officials are gathering evidence and verifying the allegation whether Pannika is the one who first published the altered information on a computer system,” he said.

If the investigation confirms that she was the one, Pannika could be liable under Article 14 (1) of the Computer-related Crime Act, which says that inputting fake or falsified information into a computer system, whether in part or whole, which causes damage to the public other than a defamation offence under the Criminal Code, is punishable by a maximum five years imprisonment or a Bt100,000 fine.

“EV owners will pay up to Bt1,000 for each of their batteries depending on its size,” he explained after a meeting on the subject. “When EV owners return their expired batteries, their money will be paid back to them.”

The director general explained that the fund does not cover the treatment of expired batteries, but will be used monitor the correctness of the treatment operated by each automobile company.

Presently, there are no battery treatment factories in Thailand at present and automobile companies sent their expired batteries to be treated in foreign countries.

Several groups including 2,500 children attended the event, which featured booths selling local produce as well as an exhibition on energy.

EGAT’s assistant governor of renewable power plants, Prasert Inthap said that this second open house event of the learning centre aimed to promote collaboration between the Authority, government organizations and the private and education sectors.

Young people formed into 71 teams from four districts, namely, Thap Sakae, Muang, Bang Saphan, and Bang Saphan Noi to compete in a race of solar-powered cars in an effort to promote the STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) curriculum that focuses on analytic and solution skills.

“This activity aimed to encourage children to learn about power and renewable energy, and inspire them to create innovations” he said. “A secondary objective was to teach members of the public about energy and technology.”

The pair, who were returning home to Taipei, were arrested and their case is being handled by local police.

She is his sixth victim in a list mainly made up of nightclub singers and masseuses. Somkid apparently got to know the woman on Facebook and witnesses said a man answering Somkid’s description had been stayed at the victim’s house since December 5. The pair were heard arguing on the morning on December 15.

“There are 370,000 inmates nationwide, which is three times the capacity of the prisons, and that leads to reductions in sentences even for serious offences,” Naras said.

Somkid was originally give the death sentence but that was later commuted to life. He was jailed on June 29, 2005 and served just under 14 years before being released on May 27, 2019 for good behaviour and a polite demeanour. During his time in prison, he asked to be transferred to the provincial prison in Trang, where he grew up, but was instead moved to Nong Khai.

Police investigating Sunday’s murder say circumstantial evidence is backed up by surveillance footage and a warrant of arrest was issued.. A witness claimed to have seen a man answering Somkid’s description disguised as a monk in Kumphawapi district in nearby Udon Thani.

Songkit Pattaya, a Facebook user, posted a short video clip on Sunday (December 15), and said he thought these two dolphins usually come to swim in the Jomtien Bay every year.

The average cost of Chinese fresh garlic is Bt5 per kilogramme and Bt15 for dry garlic, while Thailand’s fresh garlic was priced Bt11 per kilogramme and Bt35 for dry garlic.

Information posted at www.kasetprice.com on December 13 gave Thailand’s average retail price for dry garlic at Bt77 per kilogramme and that of Chinese garlic Bt50. Back home, Chinese farmers sell garlic on their local market at Bt14/kg.

China is the largest producer of garlic and in 2016 grew 22 million tonnes of the total global production of 26.5 million tonnes, while Thailand was only able to produce 80,000 tonnes. Experts say world garlic production will increase to 31 million tonnes in 2025, with China remaining the biggest producer.

“The garlic market in Thailand is worth abour Bt10 billion, of which Bt7 billion is Thai garlic, while the remaining Bt3 billion is imported, almost all of it from China,” Dr Aat said.

“Thailand needs to deal with the smuggling of garlic from China because while the official import figure is just 70,000 tonnes a year, the actual quantity is nearer to 100,000 tonnes, with much of it smuggled in and sold at a very cheap price.”

He added that Thailand has collected garlic import tax under World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations which is set at 27 per cent for the quota of 60-70 tonnes per year, and 57 per cent outside the quota. However, the price of Chinese garlic is still cheaper than its Thai counterpart.

“The government must reconsider the import measures by monitoring the retail price in China and Thailand, inspecting the import tax collection and controlling the garlic import companies,” he added.